Putin: FIFA-linked arrests are US attempt to thwart Blatter re-election

The FIFA-linked arrests on the eve of the re-election of the organization’s chief are an obvious attempt to thwart Sepp Blatter’s re-appointment, Vladimir Putin said, answering journalists’ questions. He added it’s another example of US meddling abroad.

Russian President
Vladimir Putin has said the US could be selfishly motivated for
its own gain, as was the case with Edward Snowden and Julian
Assange.

“Unfortunately our
American partners are using these methods in order to achieve
their own selfish gains and it is illegal to persecute people. I
would not rule out that in regards to FIFA, the same thing could
be happening, though I do not know how it will end,” he
said.

“However, the fact that this is happening right on the eve of
the FIFA presidential elections, gives one this exact
impression.”

Putin added this is an obvious
attempt to expand Washington’s jurisdiction in other
countries.

“This is yet one
more attempt to try and impose their law against other states. I
am absolutely sure that this is an attempt to try and stop
Blatter from being re-elected as FIFA president, which is a grave
breach of the principles of a functioning international
organization.”

He also said pressure
had been applied on Blatter "to force him to take the 2018
World Cup from Russia."

“We know his position – which has nothing to do with any kind
of special relationship between Russia and FIFA – he thinks that
sport and politics should be separate.”

“In terms of these arrests, it
looks rather strange at the very least. These arrests took place
at the request of the Americans and they were accused of
corruption,” Putin told journalists, pointing out that that
the accusations were being made against international
officials.

“One could say that
maybe someone might be guilty of something. I do not know this,
but what I do know is that this has nothing to do with the
USA,” he added. “They, these officials, are not citizens
of the USA, and if something happened, it did not take place on
the territory of the United States and the US has no business in
this.”

Putin added that the
“prosecutor of the United States, according to our mass media
has already said that these FIFA committee members have committed
a crime. This is almost as though the prosecutor doesn’t know of
the rule ‘innocent until proven guilty’.”

“Whether the people are guilty or not, this should be decided
in a court."

The Russian president
recalled the history surrounding the former National Security
Agency employee Edward Snowden, who managed to leak documents
surrounding the illegal actions of the USA across the world,
which included creating secret surveillance programs to listen in
on the conversations of world leaders.

“No one wants to give him the right to be accepted as an
asylum seeker or to guarantee his safety. No one wants to get in
a quarrel with their partners, with their more senior
partners.”